A small Wisconsin town voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to ban future data centers in the first referendum of its kind for a data center project backed by President Donald Trump<\/u>","Add":{"Target": :"New","Property":(),"url": :"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/04\/07\/wisconsin-data-center-ai-ballot-trump-00860020?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=dlvr.it","_Identification": :"0000019d-6d50-d6c8-a9fd-7fda797a0000","_Type": :"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_Identification": :"0000019d-6d50-d6c8-a9fd-7fda797a0001","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>First referendum of its kind<\/u> Supporters said it could offer a blueprint for opponents of AI infrastructure across the country.<\/p>\n
Voters in the Milwaukee suburb of Port Washington approved the measure by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, unofficial results<\/u>according to","Add":{"Target": :"New","Property":(),"url": :"https:\/\/www.ozaukeecounty.gov\/DocumentCenter\/View\/27126\/April-7-2026—Summary","_Identification": :"0000019d-6d50-d6c8-a9fd-7fda797a0003","_Type": :"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_Identification": :"0000019d-6d50-d6c8-a9fd-7fda797a0004","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>According to unofficial results<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n City residents sponsoring the voter initiative said it marks an escalation in tactics to oppose the huge facilities needed to power artificial intelligence and could inspire activists in other cities to follow suit.<\/p>\n “This is really setting a precedent,” Christine Le Jeune, founder of the nonprofit Great Lakes Neighbors United, said in an interview Tuesday evening. \u201cThis is something other communities can look at.\u201d<\/p>\n At least three other communities across the country are set to vote<\/u>","Add":{"Target": :"New","Property":(),"url": :"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/newsletters\/power-switch\/2026\/04\/07\/blocking-data-centers-at-the-ballot-box-00862427","_Identification": :"0000019d-6d50-d6c8-a9fd-7fda797a0005","_Type": :"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_Identification": :"0000019d-6d50-d6c8-a9fd-7fda797a0006","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>At least three other communities across the country are set to vote<\/u> on similar ballot measures targeting data center projects later this year. And ohio<\/u>In","Add":{"Target": :"New","Property":(),"url": :"https:\/\/www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov\/getattachment\/5630b8ae-f3f0-4700-bf9a-faae95f9cc90\/Prohibition-of-Construction-of-a-Data-Center.aspx","_Identification": :"0000019d-6d50-d6c8-a9fd-7fda797a0007","_Type": :"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_Identification": :"0000019d-6d50-d6c8-a9fd-7fda797a0008","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>in ohio<\/u><\/a>Data center opponents are looking to put an initiative on the statewide ballot that would ban new construction of certain large data centers.<\/p>\n port washington Referendum<\/u>","Add":{"Target": :"New","Property":(),"url": :"https:\/\/ballotpedia.s3.amazonaws.com\/images\/5\/54\/Watermark_Ordinance_Direct_Legislation_Petition_SD_Review_11.10.25_%283%29.pdf","_Identification": :"0000019d-6d50-d6c8-a9fd-7fda797a0009","_Type": :"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_Identification": :"0000019d-6d50-d6c8-a9fd-7fda797a000a","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>Referendum<\/u><\/a> That doesn’t actually derail the city’s controversial data center complex \u2014 tech giants OpenAI and Oracle’s $15 billion, 1.3-gigawatt facility, one of several “Stargate” AI megaprojects the companies are planning with the support of the Trump administration. Instead, it targets future projects by requiring city leaders to gain voter approval before offering attractive tax incentives to developers.<\/p>\n Representatives for OpenAI and Oracle did not immediately respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n Le Jeune told POLITICO that he and other skeptics of the data center in Port Washington were concerned about transparency, noise pollution, freshwater use and increased energy costs surrounding the Stargate project. Their concerns are reflected in recent Politico polls.<\/u>are similar to the findings of","Add":{"Target": :"New","Property":(),"url": :"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/02\/17\/data-centers-public-knowledge-5-charts-00769974","_Identification": :"0000019d-6d50-d6c8-a9fd-7fda797a000b","_Type": :"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_Identification": :"0000019d-6d50-d6c8-a9fd-7fda797a000c","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>A recent Politico poll<\/u> It asked American voters to identify their top concerns about data center construction.<\/p>\n Local business groups opposing the measure argued that it would block all types of future development, other than just data center projects. The developer building the complex, Vantage Data Centers, ran an advertising campaign in favor of the project, arguing that it would boost jobs in the area.<\/p>\n Vantage Data Center and Port Washington Mayor Ted Neitzke, who also opposed the measure, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n The referendum could be stopped within days as part of an ongoing court challenge. The Milwaukee Metropolitan Association of Commerce, a regional business group, filed a lawsuit<\/u>","Add":{"Target": :"New","Property":(),"url": :"https:\/\/www.wpr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/PLD-003-2026-01-29-Summons-and-Complaint.pdf","_Identification": :"0000019d-6d50-d6c8-a9fd-7fda797a000d","_Type": :"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_Identification": :"0000019d-6d50-d6c8-a9fd-7fda797a000e","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>filed a lawsuit<\/u><\/a> Seeking to block the measure in late January on the grounds that it violates state law.<\/p>\n Even if the Port Washington measure is struck down, it won’t be the last time American voters consider data center-related policies at the ballot box.<\/p>\n living in Monterey Park, California<\/u>","Add":{"Target": :"New","Property":(),"url": :"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/business\/story\/2026-04-02\/youre-liar-why-worlds-biggest-building-boom-has-run-into-wall-in-california","_Identification": :"0000019d-6d50-d6c8-a9fd-7fda797b0000","_Type": :"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_Identification": :"0000019d-6d50-d6c8-a9fd-7fda797b0001","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>Monterey Park, California<\/u><\/a>The city will decide in June on a measure that seeks to indefinitely ban new data center construction within city limits. in August, Augusta Township<\/u>","Add":{"Target": :"New","Property":(),"url": :"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-environment-watch\/tiny-michigan-town-hopes-to-stop-data-center-with-ballot-initiative\/","_Identification": :"0000019d-6d50-d6c8-a9fd-7fda797b0002","_Type": :"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_Identification": :"0000019d-6d50-d6c8-a9fd-7fda797b0003","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>Augusta Township<\/u><\/a> In rural Michigan it will be decided whether to strike down a local ordinance clearing the way for the data center project. and in November, Janesville, Wisconsin<\/u>","Add":{"Target": :"New","Property":(),"url": :"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/03\/31\/ai-data-centers-wisconsin-trump-00846018","_Identification": :"0000019d-6d50-d6c8-a9fd-7fda797b0004","_Type": :"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_Identification": :"0000019d-6d50-d6c8-a9fd-7fda797b0005","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>Janesville, Wisconsin<\/u> Will vote on a measure that could thwart plans to redevelop a former General Motors assembly plant into an AI factory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A small Wisconsin town voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to ban future data centers in the first referendum of its kind for a data center project backed by President Donald Trump","Add":{"Target": :"New","Property":(),"url": :"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/04\/07\/wisconsin-data-center-ai-ballot-trump-00860020?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=dlvr.it","_Identification": :"0000019d-6d50-d6c8-a9fd-7fda797a0000","_Type": :"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_Identification": :"0000019d-6d50-d6c8-a9fd-7fda797a0001","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>First referendum of its kind Supporters said it could offer a blueprint for opponents of AI infrastructure across the country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45861,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[18037,1301,1315,226,491,7023,15163],"class_list":["post-49117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bible-verse","tag-antidata","tag-center","tag-city","tag-nations","tag-passes","tag-referendum","tag-wisconsin"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49117"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49117\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49118,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49117\/revisions\/49118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}